Many facial and other skin treatments utilize treatment solutions, such as creams or lotions, which contain forms of vitamins A, C or E or other active substances. Typically, these active substances are subject to degradation by oxidation or other effects when exposed to air or components of light such as ultra violet (UV) radiation. Thus, certain pharmacopeia, such as the American Pharmacopeia, XXIst edition, pages 1118 and 1215, recommend that preparations containing vitamins such as A, C or E be stored and handled so as to be shielded from light and from atmospheric oxygen by an atmosphere of a neutral or inert gas.
However, in prior skin treatment usage these types of treatment solutions have been applied to the skin in a manner not providing adequate protection from exposure to light or air, or both. No suitable arrangements enabling active skin treatments to be applied in a practical manner, while at the same time providing protection from exposure to both air and light, are known to have been previously available.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus and methods for applying skin treatments which are characterized by one or more of the following:
protection from exposure to air; PA1 protection from exposure to light; PA1 automated application of facial treatments under a mask; PA1 infusion of nitrogen under a masking device to impede air contact with active treatment solutions; and PA1 use of a masking device arranged to constrain transmission of light and enable infusion of both treatment solutions and a neutral gas under the masking device.